


Playing Catch Up

by Matrya



Series: Fictober 2018 [9]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Gen, Post-AYITL, Post-Canon, these two could be such good friends tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 23:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16251602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrya/pseuds/Matrya
Summary: Rory, Jess, a random visit."You shouldn't have come here.", Fictober 2018





	Playing Catch Up

**Author's Note:**

> Post-AYITL Lit!friendship is like...The Good Stuff IMHO guys.

Rory looked both ways out her door before she closed it. None of the neighbors saw him, this will be fine. "You shouldn't have come here."

"What, is Mrs. Piwowarski going to tell Lorelai I'm deflowering her daughter?" He gestured at her belly. "Little late for that."

"Jess," she hisses. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugs and tucks his hair back. Rory will never get used to that. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd say hey."

"Well, hey." She crosses her arms, though, and heads for the kitchen. "Tea? All I have is decaf."

"Sounds good." He trails behind her for a few steps but the apartment is only so big. "How's the writing going?"

She shrugs it off as she fills the kettle. "Not too bad. It's easier now that I'm not puking all the time."

Jess chuckles, something that sounds so young from him. "I bet. You tell Paul yet?"

"Hey, no, not your business." She points a finger at him. "And it might have nothing to do with him, anyway, so why would I complicate things?"

"Because it might have something to do with him, and we both know what happens when you try to keep your child a secret from their father…"

Rory sighs. "Questionable science fair experiments."

"Questionable science fair experiments," he confirms. "Hey, is it, like…kicking?"

She turns toward him and waves at her midsection. "Go ahead. The little jerk is trying to FIFA World Cup its way out of me."

Jess is immediately half-crouching in front of her. Splaying both hands across her belly, he stage whispers, "Don't listen to her, I think she loves you."

"You love it; I am withholding judgment until it comes out."

"FIFA is going to pay this kid millions, geez. Hey, are you still going with 'it'?" he asks, standing. He takes a big step back, away from her, as he shoves his hands in his pocket. "No big party with a…cake filled with candy?"

Rory looks at him, a little dumbfounded.

"Our intern spends a lot of her time on Pinterest."

"Ah. Anyway, it's shy, apparently. Yeah, a fetus can be shy and, just my luck, mine is. My grandmother is losing her mind because she doesn't know what color bunting to order for the baby shower."

Jess grabs mugs off the shelf. "Aren't there a bevy of gender neutral options these days? Or you could do some kind of rock baby, all black?"

She pushes down a laugh at that, and hands him the tea bags. "You know, you and my mother have a lot in common."

"Yeah, don't point it out to her, though." He leans in closer, like he has a secret. "I don't think she'd take it well. What about the time-honored yellow?"

"I don't know. I was thinking white would be a good color for a newborn and I know you think I'm being sarcastic, but hear me out." She holds up a finger as she passes him the boiling kettle with her other hand. "Infinitely bleachable. Sure, right now the smell of bleach makes me so sick I pass out, but that'll go away."

"Hopefully."

"No, it goes. The baby goes and so does the rest of this."

Jess looks at her, immediately, and his eyes are huge. "Did…did you just call it a baby?"

Pausing, Rory thinks back. "Yeah. I'm…trying it out. I mean, in two more months, I kind of have to. I would love to hear what Fox News thinks of me calling it a fetus when it's old enough to walk." She drums her nails on the counter and shifts a little, bops to the radio in the other room. "What are you in the neighborhood for? Is it another summons? Change your address."

"No, not this time. This bookstore I used to go to is still open and I hooked up with them for a signing. I have a couple more hours, though."

"A signing." She smiles, tries to restrain it from becoming a full-blown grin and fails spectacularly. "Can I come?"

Jess hands her one of the mugs and raises an eyebrow. "It's not fun, Rory."

"I haven't been to a book signing in years, and not for someone I knew since college, probably—"

"You came to a book signing I did in 2008."

Rory scoffs. "That year does not exist in my memory, at all, and you know that. I recently found a picture of me with Rachel Maddow that I don't remember taking."

Nodding slowly, Jess wonders, "Do you remember going on her show?"

Blankly staring at him, she wonders, "Are you messing with me?"

"No." He shakes his head, taking in her expression. "Wow, that gig really did a number on you. Tell you what: if you can look presentable, I'll take you to my signing but you can't sit near me and you can't tell people anything about me."

Rory sets down her tea, shaking her head. As she passes, she pats his cheek. "Of course, Mr. Salinger."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I hope that went well! Kudos and comments are appreciated, critique is welcome, croutons can stay with you.


End file.
